


Arise

by eerian_sadow



Series: Jazz Prime [4]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-25 07:01:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 2,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14373432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eerian_sadow/pseuds/eerian_sadow
Summary: Hot Rod is dead, but the Matrix must still choose a new bearer.





	1. Chapter 1

He watched with horror as Optimus slumped over, falling heavily on top of the bodies of Megatron and Hot Rod. He thought he heard someone screaming and realized it was him when someone pulled him away from the wall and tried to shush him.

He turned in the other mech’s grip, just enough to see who was holding him and still keep Optimus in view. Red plating met his gaze and he growled, “Let go of me, Sideswipe!”

“Perceptor and Wheeljack are already going out for him, Jazz.” Sideswipe tightened his grip on the saboteur. “He’s going to need you in the medbay.”

Even as he watched, he realized Sideswipe was right. Perceptor and Wheeljack were darting outside, weaving through the parting shots of the fleeing Decepticon strike force with a stretcher. Ultra Magnus was close behind them, supplying just enough covering fire to keep the Decepticon retreat under way. 

And Optimus wasn’t grey yet. 

He held onto that, as Sideswipe turned him away and led him back inside.


	2. Chapter 2

“I’m afraid,” there was a hitch in Perceptor’s voice. “That the wounds are fatal. There is nothing further Wheeljack and I can do.”

The engineer and sometimes-medic didn’t speak. His bowed head expressed his grief clearly enough for everyone in the room.

Optimus Prime was dying, the humans were crying and Jazz’s spark was breaking.

“Jazz…” Optimus’ voice was barely there, and the saboteur would have missed it if he wasn’t always listening. “Forgive… me.”

“Ain’t nothin’ to forgive.” The black and white mech reached out for the Prime’s hand and clutched it tightly. “Sometimes ya gotta go on ahead.”

“I will… wait for you.” Optimus squeezed his hand weakly before pulling away. “Magnus.”

“Sir.” Ultra Magnus stepped closer, not quite nudging Jazz out from in front of the Prime.

“The Matrix. You must…” The red and blue mech’s ventilation system wheezed and rattled. “You… must… carry the Matrix.”

The Prime’s oldest friend recoiled as Optimus parted his chest plates with a horrific grinding sound. “But Optimus! I’m just a soldier!”

“Until… the next Prime…” the Autobot leader’s hands shook and he pulled the pulsing artifact from his chest. “Protect the… Matrix.”

Magnus didn’t move, and the artifact slipped from Optimus’ fingers. Jazz darted forward, fine tuned training taking over and catching the artifact as his friend--the mech he _loved_ \--faded to grey.

A soft feminine voice drowned out the wailing of the medical monitors as his fingers wrapped around the artifact. **”Excogitus Prime, rise.”**

Jazz crumpled to the ground as the Matrix energy began reshaping him.


	3. Chapter 3

“How you holding up, Perce?” The red and teal mech didn’t move at the sound of his friend’s voice, and Wheeljack nodded. “Yeah, I’m about the same.”

“Of all the things I thought I would do or see, this was never one of them.” Perceptor wrapped his arms around himself as he stared at Jazz’s too-still form on the medical berth that had been occupied by Optimus less than an hour before. “The death of Zeta Prime was academic, for me. I was never invested in him, nor did I particularly care for his leadership. But Optimus… Optimus was my friend. Even if he was irritated with me, I was always well aware that I mattered to him. And now he is gone, and when he wakes, it is just as likely that the Jazz we knew will be too. And Ratchet, Prowl and Ironhide. I have said goodbye to too many friends today.”

“Yeah, me too.” Wheeljack stepped closer, letting his shoulder brush against the other scientist’s. “We’ve still got each other, at least.”

“There is some comfort in that.” Perceptor moved one of his hands from its position on his arm and reached for the engineer’s. Wheeljack squeezed it tightly.


	4. Chapter 4

_”Excogitus.”_

Jazz blinked and looked around at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. “Who?” 

_”You, Excogitus Prime.”_

The saboteur repressed a bitter laugh as he kept looking for the source of the voice. “My name’s Jazz, and I ain’t Prime. He’s dead.”

 _”Optimus has extinguished, and Rodimus extinguished before he was called, to our sorrow. You **are** Prime now, Excogitus, whether you wish it or not.”_ The voice shifted from a deep baritone into a lighter feminine soprano as it spoke, both confusing Jazz and making him focus more intently on his current situation. _”We did not wish to call you now, or ever, though you have always been worthy. Your spark and energy have been needed elsewhere through the vorns.”_

“Then why now? I sure as slag don’t want to be the Prime.”

 _”The other worthy candidate remains on Cybertron. She is too far away to be reached in time.”_ Finally, a form materialized in front of him, though it was distinguishable only as a bipedal mech of some kind. Jazz was grateful to have something to focus on; conversing with thin air made him feel crazier than he knew he was. _”You are the last, best hope remaining for your people.”_

This time he gave into the urge to laugh, and he knew it was a harsh and unforgiving--and possibly slightly hysterical--sound. “Then we’re fragged. I can’t be anyone’s hope when I ain’t got any of my own left.”

 _”We have faith, Excogitus.”_ The mech leaned forward and cupped his face between two fingerless hands, and Jazz felt strangely warmed by the touch. _”We have faith in you, and Primus has faith in you. You will be the Unifier, and the hope of all.”_

“I can’t!”

 _“You can.”_ The voice shifted again, and now it sounded just like Optimus--and Jazz felt a little more like dying. Then the formless mech in front of him changed, too, with red and blue flowing over its body to match the firm voice. _”I know better than any other Prime before just what you can do. You can save them, Jazz. You will save them.”_

“Optimus…” The black and white mech’s spark broke the longer he stared at the mech in front of him.

_”You must do what I could not, and reunite all our people. The Destroyer is coming, and you will need every spark and mind to fight him if we are to stand a chance.”_

Jazz shuddered and suppressed a sob. “I don’t want to do this without you.”

_”You will not. I will always be here when you need me. Simply search the Matrix and you will find me. Be strong, my love.”_

He shuttered his optics and took a deep ventilation, wishing that this Optimus was real and not the grief created hallucination he knew the mech really was. Then he opened his shutters again and looked up into Perceptor’s worried face.

“The frag?”

“Welcome back, Jazz. You gave us all quite a scare.” The scientist rested a hand on the saboteur’s shoulder. “How do you feel?”

“The Matrix did a number on you,” Wheeljack added, stepping up next to Perceptor. “I’m surprised you’re even awake yet.”

“What are you talking about?” Jazz looked down at himself, and gasped when he saw the warrior grade armor covering his thighs. “Frag, I thought it was just a nightmare.”

“Has it given you a name yet?” Perceptor asked gently. 

“Excogitus.” His spark contracted as he ran a diagnostic and received a list of upgrades and alterations. Seeing it all written out in front of him made the change--and his apparent promotion--as real as Optimus’ deactivation. “They said my name is Excogitus.”

“It suits you.” Perceptor patted him on the shoulder again. “Rest for now. Ultra Magnus has everything else in hand.”

“Yeah, but only for a little while.” The new Prime couldn’t deny he was exhausted, especially given that he hadn’t actually been resting despite his diagnostic telling him that he’d been offline for twelve hours. “I’ve got a lotta slag to do, and not nearly enough time to do it in.”


	5. Chapter 5

"Blaster, I need you to get a comm line to Soundwave opened." 

He'd always out ranked the communication specialist, so Blaster jumped to obey the new Prime's command before the actual instructions penetrated into his processing threads. Once he realized what Jazz--Excogitus Prime--was asking he froze in place. "Sir, I don't--"

"Don't sir me." The black and white mech stepped closer to his friend and laid a hand, much bigger than his old one, on the red and yellow mech's shoulder. "And don't bullshit me. I know you know how to get in touch with him, and I know you've been doing it for years. Just get him on the comm. I need to talk to him."

"That's a bad idea, Jazz. He's really fragged off right now." Blaster sighed. "Calling him right now is just going to make him angrier."

"I don't care how angry he is." Jazz's voice was firm. "I need to talk to him and it ain't gonna wait."

"Okay, but it's your fu--," Blaster cringed and reset his vocalizer. "It's your aft if he charges back in, guns blazing."

"He won't. Not when I'm done." Excogitus Prime turned away from his friend and focused on the video screen. 

"All right. Connection in about ten seconds." Blaster tapped in a few commands. "And Jazz, I'm glad you're still here."

Blaster's words, and the blessedly normal way he used his name, were both comforting and painful. He was saved from having to reply to them by the view screen resolving into Soundwave's stern features.

 _"Autobot Jazz will explain..."_ Even to an untrained optic, the moment where Soundwave realized what had happened to him was obvious. _"Prime!"_

Excogitus pretended he didn't hear the anguish underneath the blue mech's shock. "In the plating. And I have something you want."

_"Autobots possess nothing Soundwave requires."_

"I'm not going to rise to that bait, Soundwave." Excogitus smiled slightly. "Cause we both know that's not true. I didn't call to taunt you, though."

_"Autobot Jazz will explain."_

"They're calling me Excogitus these days," he replied, feeling his smile slip away. "And I have Megatron's body."

_"Laserbeak reported Megatron had been smelted."_

"He was going to be. Ultra Magnus had everything all lined up. I stopped them and deactivated the smelter myself." The black and white sighed, remembering how outraged Magnus had been. That was a war he would be fighting for a while yet. "I want to give him back to you, so that you can inter him properly."

_"Soundwave has nothing to offer in return."_

"It ain't like that, Soundwave. No strings, no traps. You come pick him up and take him back to your base. We'll give you the traditional mourning period before we do anything else."

There was a long silence and the new Prime could practically hear the Decepticon's processor turning his offer over repeatedly. 

"I rounded up the bodies of the others, too. Thundercracker can to come for Skywarp."

Soundwave tensed briefly at the mention of Thundercracker, then nodded. _"Soundwave will arrange rendezvous to pick up Decepticon dead. Thank you, Excogitus Prime."_

"You're welcome. I hope we never have to do it again."


	6. Chapter 6

"Excuse me, Prime?" Despite how unexpected Perceptor's voice was, it took Jazz several moments to remember that _he_ was the Prime now and that the scientist was speaking to him, not Optimus. 

"What is it, Perceptor?" He winced at how weary he sounded; even at his lowest, Jazz the saboteur had never sounded weary.

"Soundwave and his entourage have arrived." The red and teal mech shifted slightly, betraying a hint of nervousness not present in his voice. "I think perhaps you should greet them sooner than later, and find another duty more suited to Ultra Magnus' current frame of mind."

"Mags is starting trouble already? The mech works fast." Jazz stood up and pulled on the persona he used when he needed to project "danger" rather than "grieving lover." Excogitus wasn't dangerous, precisely, but right now that seemed to be the only other face he could wear. "Where are they waiting?"

"In the landing bay. Magnus would not authorize their entrance into the base itself."

"What a way to start a peace negotiation." Jazz sighed and moved to the door. Perceptor stepped aside to allow him through, then fell into step behind him. "What else do I need to know?"

"Thundercracker is present, but I daresay he is not intact. Losing Skywarp seems to have unhinged his mind." The scientist thought for a moment. "Also, Ravage appears to be in ill repair. An offer of components sized for the recordicons might be an excellent conciliatory gesture."

"If I didn't know why you were called Perceptor before, I do now." Jazz found a smile for the red mech. "What else should I know?"

"Well, they all appear under-fueled, and Starscream is nowhere to be found..."


	7. Chapter 7

Soundwave and Thundercracker followed him silently to the morgue, and Excogitus Prime found himself unnerved. Neither of them had ever been particularly chatty, but the fact that they hadn’t even asked why he was being so generous was unnerving.

Actually, everything about Thundercracker’s near-catatonia was unnerving.

The black and white mech bit his lip to keep from trying to break the uncomfortable silence. Neither Decepticon wanted to talk, and he needed to respect that. A wrong step now could shatter the truce he was trying to create before it could even be put in writing.

Fortunately, the walk to the morgue wasn’t as long as it could be and he only had to try and keep quiet for a few minutes. He hoped his relief wasn’t too obvious as he punched the lock code into the door and opened it. “I’ll give you mechs a few minutes if you need it.”

Soundwave nodded. “Soundwave, grateful.”

“You’re welcome,” Excogitus replied. He stepped away from the door to let the Decepticons step through. Then, as it slid closed behind them, he put his back against the wall and forced his cooling system to ventilate slowly to help calms his nervousness. 

A few kilks later, before he had really gotten himself under control, he heard a harsh, staticy wail from the morgue. Despite his resolve, he felt his spark contract and he sobbed for everything they had lost along with Soundwave.


	8. Chapter 8

"Is there a reason you've banished me to the most distant patrol route possible, Prime?"

Jazz looked at Ultra Magnus and sighed. He did _not_ want to have this conversation, but clearly he wasn't going to be able to put it off. "Yeah, there is. Come in, and we'll talk about it."

The larger mech stepped into the Prime’s office. "If I've done something to anger you..."

"It ain't that." The former saboteur leaned back in his chair and let his data pad fall into sleep mode. "I'm not mad at you. But you are causing problems that I don't have the resources to solve."

"If this is about the Decepticons, I can explain."

"Mech, I don't need you to explain yourself. I get it. What I need you to do is _stop sabotaging me_." Jazz sighed. "I'm trying to end this war, and you just seem to be trying to keep going on forever."

"How can you want to make peace with them, after what they did?" Ultra Magnus stared at him, clearly not understanding. "Optimus is dead, and you're treating his murderers like royalty!"

"No, I'm treating them like mechs who are as sick of the endless fighting as I am. Even if it hadn't been the last thing Optimus asked me to do, I can't keep fighting." The black and white mech leaned forward again, focus on the other officer. "They killed your friend--the mech I loved more than I love music--and Sentinel and Zeta before that. And we killed Megatron, and I don't know how many of his officers. We can't keep going like this, Magnus."

"But we can't let them get away with it, either."

"Ultra Magnus, there is not a Decepticon left alive who was responsible for killing Optimus. They're just exhausted, dying bots."

"What do you want me to do?" Magnus sounded worn down and defeated, a mental state Jazz understood all too well. With the Prime tearing holes in his reasons for being angry, he fell back on what he had left: orders. "I can't make peace, when I'm still so angry."

"I need you to support me in public, even if you think I'm crazy as Starscream in private." The black and white mech stood up and came around his desk to stand face to face with the larger mech. "I need you to be honest with me like this, too. We've gotta help each other, you know?"

"Yes, sir."

"And I don't need you to be their friend, Magnus. Just mine. I'm going to need you and your skills as much as Optimus and Elita ever did." Jazz extended a hand, hoping the blue and white mech would accept the gesture. "I'd won't make you stay here when they are, and I won't keep sending you on those off road patrols. Deal?"

Ultra Magnus stared at his hand for several long seconds before nodding. "It will take time before I am comfortable with this new plan, but I believe we have a deal."

Jazz didn't cheer when the large mech clasped his forearm, but he also didn't suppress his smile.


End file.
